Zhou Qunfei, chairwoman and founder of Lens Technology, attended a high-profile China state banquet in Beijing today, where she was seated between Elon Musk and Tim Cook alongside other business leaders from China and the United States [1, 2].
Zhou founded Lens Technology in 1993 in Shenzhen using 20,000 yuan in savings and family support. She began her career grinding watch glass before launching a small glass-processing workshop that would grow into a major smartphone cover glass supplier [2].
Lens Technology first gained prominence as a key supplier to Apple in 2007 by providing cover glass for the original iPhone, becoming Apple’s largest customer by the early 2010s [1, 2]. The company also supplied cover glass for Motorola’s Razr V3, Nokia, and Samsung smartphones as its business expanded [2].
Lens Technology was listed on Shenzhen’s ChiNext Index in March 2015 and went public in Hong Kong in 2025 [1]. As of May 23, 2026, its shares on Shenzhen’s stock market traded at 34.72 yuan, giving the company a market value of approximately 183.3 billion yuan, or about US$26 to 27 billion, according to different sources [1, 2].
Zhou Qunfei is regarded as one of China’s richest self-made women thanks to the company’s rapid growth and valuation [1, 2].
Born in 1970 in Hunan province, Zhou’s journey from factory worker to leading business figure represents a significant rise in China’s technology supply chain sector [2].
The state banquet where she appeared today marked a rare gathering of top business leaders from China and the US, highlighting her status alongside global technology figures like Musk and Cook [1, 2].
